


The Wolf's Pack

by mystic_believexx



Series: Into the Woods [4]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 4th part of series, Alpha Louis, Beta Zayn, Human Harry, Human Liam, Into the Woods - Freeform, Jealousy, M/M, Mate bonds, Mates, Mating Ritual, Pack Dynamics, Pack Feels, Possessive Behaviour, Possessive Louis, Pre-bond tokens, Soul Bond, Things are getting a bit steamy now, This will have a fair bit of Ziam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-05-26 11:27:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6236818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystic_believexx/pseuds/mystic_believexx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Most boyfriends get to meet the family. Harry gets to meet the whole pack. They're not so different...apart from the fangs and claws, right?</p><p> <i>“You love flirting with danger, don’t you?” Louis rasped, the sound sending jolts of pleasure through Harry’s body.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> This has been long overdue so thank you for your patience! Hope you enjoy the fic and my first attempt at making an art cover :) xx

 

Harry walked into his bedroom with nothing more than a towel on, still relaxed from the shower he had taken that morning. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the boy that was lounging on his bed.

To his credit, Harry’s voice didn’t come out squeaky with surprise as he enquired, “Louis?”

When the werewolf’s gaze fell on him, however, Harry felt his knees grow just a tad weaker. A rush of smug satisfaction raced through him as he saw the way Louis’ eyes flashed gold, the wolf biting down a growl of pleasure as he surveyed the form of his half-naked mate. Harry’s hands reached down to hold his towel in a firmer grasp but there wasn’t much he could do about the way his cock was starting to stir to life.

“Jesus”, Louis breathed out, eyes taking in the blushing, younger boy, “How are you real?”

The comment only served to make Harry’s blush deepen and his arousal to grow. He knew Louis had gotten a whiff of the lustful scent when the wolf let out a pained whine.

“Wh..what are you doing here?” Harry stammered out, forcing himself to turn away and grab the first set of clothes he could find.

Louis took a deep, shuddering breath before turning his head sideways and burying his face in Harry’s pillow.

“Felt like seeing you”, he mumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow, “Your bed smells fucking amazing, you know that?”

“Can’t say I do”, Harry chuckled, watching the wolf fondly as Louis sniffed his pillow.

It took him another moment to realise that Louis’ body was tense, his hands curling into the pillow as he took deep breaths, almost as if he _needed_ Harry’s scent.

“Lou? Is everything alright?” Harry murmured quietly, pulling on his shirt.

“Huh? Yeah, sure! Things are…it’s fine”, Louis’ voice didn’t have to crack for Harry to know his mate was lying.

He wondered if Jay had told Louis the pack wasn’t ready to meet Harry yet, as she had done five months ago when Louis had asked his Alpha.

“I swear she adores you, Hazza”, Louis had placated him when Harry had gotten upset, “She just thinks…she thinks you’re too young. She screamed at me for an hour when she found out we’d met”.

“Is she gonna stop us from seeing each other?” Harry has asked, heart hammering in fear.

“No,” Louis’ arms had come around him then, letting him rest his head against the werewolf’s warm chest, “Now that we’ve met, the pull I feel for you is stronger. It’ll cause me physical pain if I’m away from you for more than a few days. She’s angry I didn’t stay away until you turned sixteen but she’s not cruel”.

“Does she think…that I’m not good enough for you?”

It was Harry’s biggest fear, his greatest insecurity. Louis had cupped his jaw then, tilting his face until they were eye to eye.

“You’re my everything, Hazza. There’s _no one_ better. There could never be.”

“But…” Harry trailed off, not wanting to show how upset he was by the fact Jay had told Louis not to bring him to the pack house.

“Mum’s looking out for you, love”, Louis explained, knowing what his mate was thinking, “Being introduced to the pack is a big deal. It’s…a declaration. A wolf’s way of stating their intentions to mate someone. I know what I feel for you is real but we only met a week ago. She said we should get to know each other better and that I should explain everything about werewolves to you before we meet the rest of the pack”.

“But I _will_ meet them at some point, right?” Harry murmured.

Louis gave him a fond smile as he answered, “Sooner than you think”.

Five months later, Jay had told Louis she wanted Harry to formally meet the pack. Harry had been ecstatic. Now, he wondered if she had changed her mind. Maybe she thought he still wasn’t ready.

He ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach and chose to check on Louis instead.

“Lou, come on. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”

Louis made a soft whine but otherwise, simply muttered, “Everything’s fine”.

Harry didn’t say anything; just reached up and pulled his silver necklace off, placing it on the bedside table before reaching for the werewolf.

The moment Harry’s hand came in contact with the older boy’s shoulder, Louis’ body seemed to relax, even as he growled, “Put the necklace back on, Harry”.

“No”, Harry stated and Louis turned to look at him, disapproving but still fond.

Harry took the opportunity to clamber onto the bed and push Louis back until the wolf was lying against the pillows with Harry straddling his thighs.

“Hazza!” Louis groaned in frustration but, when the younger lad leant forward, the werewolf’s hands came up to grasp his hips, holding him in place.

“You promised you’d keep it on”, Louis muttered and Harry smirked.

“I will. When you tell me the truth”, he replied, tilting his head to the side so that the pale column of his neck was exposed, “Tell me what’s wrong, Alpha”.

“I’m not Alpha yet but that’s still playing dirty!” Louis growled but he instinctively pulled his mate closer to scent his neck.

Harry let him, running his hands over Louis’ shoulders and upper back as the wolf gently nuzzled him. He knew his skin would sport a red mark from the sprinkling of facial hair Louis possessed but that only made him feel more content. Louis whined softly, gathering Harry closer and the younger boy obliged by tilting his neck further, giving the werewolf better access.

“So,” he commented idly while Louis was rubbing his scent over him, “What’s got you so worried?”

Louis’ body seemed to deflate, as if he had accepted defeat but Harry only had a moment to feel smug about that before the wolf suddenly rolled them over so he was on top.

“Stop using my weaknesses against me”, Louis murmured in his ear, his hands squeezing Harry’s hips possessively.

“Not gonna happen”, Harry breathed back, eyes unable to leave the electric blue that stared down at him.

He shuddered with pleasure when Louis leant down to nudge his head back further and nuzzled against his neck. His fingers traced Harry’s jaw and then, his lips followed the same path.

Louis pressed his lips against the younger boy’s heated skin and, when he spoke, Harry could feel the teasing slide of his teeth. It made him want to arch up into his mate’s touch but he forced himself to lie still and listen.

“You love flirting with danger, don’t you?” Louis rasped, the sound sending jolts of pleasure through Harry’s body.

“D..depends”, Harry managed to croak out but he forgot the rest of his planned response when Louis’ teeth nipped against his skin, lightly.

He couldn’t have stopped the moan that left his mouth, sounding filthy and raw and _desperate_. Louis’ breathing kicked up a notch and it gave Harry a thrill to know that he wasn’t the only one who was affected by all this.

“Gonna mark me?” Harry teased and then, because, it seemed, he _did_ like flirting with danger, added, “Because you might want to get around to it before someone else does”.

Louis made a sound, halfway between a growl and a snarl, and then he was attacking Harry’s neck with his mouth. Biting short and sharp, light enough to not break the skin but hard enough to leave behind the indention of his teeth. Harry knew his moans sounded borderline pornographic, Louis’ growls of approval only fuelling him on. A part of him remembered that there were other people in the house but it was difficult focusing on anything that wasn’t Louis Tomlinson and his gifted mouth. His cock was fattening up under his pants and he had to use all his willpower to not start grinding against Louis.

Louis’ own cock was hard, the outline pressing against Harry’s thighs but the wolf was too focused on marking his mate to notice. He pressed kisses to the now red skin, sucking on it lightly before his tongue laved at the red mark, soothing the sting.

“Mine”, Louis’ growl was dark and possessive as he pressed one last kiss to the site before rolling away.

Harry couldn’t stop himself from whining with displeasure but the older boy ignored it and plopped down on the bed next to him, panting heavily.

“That’s all I get?” Harry pouted, “ _One_ lousy mark?”

“Don’t tempt me”, Louis hissed out from between his teeth and suddenly, his arms were around Harry, pulling him into the wolf’s warm embrace.

It should have fuelled his desire but instead, being held by Louis only made him feel sleepy and relaxed.

“No fair”, Harry muttered, even as he snuggled closer to the older lad’s warmer body, “You know cuddling makes me sleepy”.

The werewolf buried his answering chuckle against Harry’s neck, subtly inhaling the scent there until his body relaxed.

“Zayn,” Louis said after a few moments of silence.

Harry’s eyes had fluttered shut but he hummed to show that he was listening.

“He asked my mum to turn Payne.”

Harry blinked awake, pulling back slightly and reaching over to cup Louis’ cheek until the werewolf’s eyes met his. The sparkling blue was dimmed with worry and looked…conflicted.

“Turn? What does that mean?”

He couldn’t recall Louis ever having mentioned such a word before during his explanations about werewolves.

“He wants…” Louis hesitated but, at Harry’s encouraging look, he carried on, “He wants to turn Liam into a werewolf so he can join our pack”.

Harry’s eyes widened, mouth falling open.

“Mum refused, of course”, Louis continued, not seeming to be able to stop now that he had started, “We only turn humans once they’re mated to a werewolf and even then, only if the human agrees to it. Zayn hasn’t even spoken to Liam about it yet. So, Mum refused and he turned to me, asking me to give Liam the turning bite”.

“You can do that?” Harry asked, his thumb absently stroking over Louis’ cheekbone in comfort.

Louis nodded, letting out a soft sigh and leaning into the touch.

“Yeah. Because I’m the future Alpha, I can pass on the wolf gene but I won’t do it without following the proper protocol. So, I said no and now he hates me. Mum’s right though. She thinks it’s Zayn’s wolf that’s causing him to be so adamant about this. His wolf’s scared of losing his mate.”

“How would he lose Liam?” Harry asked, curious despite himself.

“Payne could choose to follow in his Dad’s footsteps; to be a Protector and reject his mate. If he were turned, he’d have to move in with the pack while he learnt to control his wolf. He’d be away from his dad, who Zayn’s wolf considers a threat.”

“Liam wouldn’t choose his dad over Zayn. He…really cares about him”, Harry replied, remembering the way Liam had spoken about Zayn.

Over the last five months, Liam had stopped attending Protector training and started hanging out with Zayn more but, as far as Harry was aware, he still hadn’t told his dad about it.

“Try telling Zayn’s wolf that”, Louis chuckled, without any real humour, “I mean, it does make sense in a way. His mate hasn’t said anything to indicate that he’s willing to solidify the bond. They might be friends now but, until Payne decides to wear Zayn’s token, his inner wolf sees it as a potential rejection. It’s afraid”.

Harry bit his lip, not knowing how to defend that. He knew Liam was frightened too, but his fear had more to do with his dad finding out and hurting Zayn than being rejected by his mate.

“Zayn’s…he’s been my best mate since we were cubs. It hurts that he’d try and pin this on me when he _knows_ I can’t turn a human without their permission.”

Louis’ voice sounded pained; resigned.

“So, Zayn’s wolf is angry and afraid of losing his mate and he’s acting out against you because you’re his future Alpha”, Harry summarised.

He took a deep breath before continuing, keeping his words slow and measured, “I’m not going to pretend to know what that feels like. I have no point of reference to compare it to. But I do know that Zayn doesn’t hate you. He could never hate you”.

He carried on before Louis could interrupt.

“He defied Jay, your Alpha, just so he could make your rut easier by giving you a piece of clothing with my scent on it. He’s the only one in your pack who dared to do that, the only one who was willing to shoulder the blame if Jay found out.”

“He did that out of loyalty”, Louis argued but his voice was weak, “He did it because he’s my Beta”.

“No,” Harry stroked the skin under Louis’ eyes, smiling softly when the wolf let out a quiet snuffle, “He did it because he’s your friend and he cares about you. I don’t know much about his…wolf but the human part of him doesn’t hate you, Lou. And I don’t think his wolf could either”.

He was relieved when Louis’ lips curled up into a soft smile.

“You’re amazing, Hazza”, he murmured, moving a hand to push back Harry’s curls from his forehead, “I’m so fucking lucky to have you”.

“You don’t have me yet”, Harry teased, moving back slightly so he could tilt his neck and expose the area that, Louis had told him, would one day house the claiming bite.

Louis growled softly, playfully pawing at Harry’s chest until the boy curled up close to him again.

It had only been five months they first saw each other but Harry already felt as if Louis and him had been dating for years. Everything seemed better with Louis there; it felt _right_.

Harry wasn’t sure how Liam managed to keep away from Zayn if all mates felt like this. Especially now, with Liam being sixteen. A part of him admired his friend for sticking to his guns and wanting to take things slow but another part thought he was idiotic. No matter what his dad said, _why_ would Liam not want to give himself a chance at true happiness? Why was he torturing both himself and Zayn by denying them a proper relationship?

Thinking about Liam and Zayn brought a more important question to Harry’s mind.

“Do…um..do I have a token from you?” he asked, hesitantly.

Louis was silent for a second before he nodded.

“Yeah,” he waved a hand in the general direction of where Harry had deposited the silver necklace, “It’s part of our..uh, mating ritual”.

Louis scratched the back of his neck, face turning slightly pink.

Harry’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What? Why have you never mentioned this before? What does a mating ritual involve?”

“So many questions, love”, Louis chuckled but his arms tightened around Harry to let him know he was only teasing.

“The ritual has four stages,” he continued, smiling as he saw the excitement in Harry’s eyes at the prospect of learning something new about werewolves, “The first is Recognition, which happened when we were kids. I saw you in the forest and my wolf recognised you as my mate. The second stage is pre-bonding. That’s where the personal token comes in. It’s a promise, I suppose. My way of making it clear to you that you’re mine and that, when the time is right, I’ll claim you. It has the added benefit of keeping other wolves away from you. Most wolves give pre-bond tokens to their mates when they’re still underage. It…keeps our wolves satisfied. Somewhat”.

Harry nodded.

“Once the token is accepted by your mate, it leads to the third stage- Pack Integration.”

“Is that…when I meet your pack tomorrow night, is that what it is?” Harry asked, suddenly nervous.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t figure that out”, Louis bit his lip at Harry’s accusing glare, “That’s also part of the reason why Mum wanted me to wait to introduce you to the pack. She didn’t want to overwhelm you”.

“What happens during Pack Integration?”

“Uh, well, pack members set out challenges to determine if a wolf’s mate is ‘fit’ to be a part of the pack.”

At Harry’s terrified expression, Louis hurried to reassure him.

“It’s not as scary as it sounds, I promise. It’ll mostly just be my Mum and sisters asking you things about yourself to check that you’d fit into the pack. It’s just a formality to make sure our inner wolves are right and that it’s definitely our mates that we’re planning to bond with.”

“Do..do your inner wolves ever get it wrong?” Harry asked and Louis sighed.

“Only if they’re manipulated or tricked. It’s extremely rare. I swear, Hazza. The tests are going to be a piece of cake for you!”

Harry felt a warm feeling spread through him at Louis’ confidence in his abilities.

“And what’s the last stage?” Harry murmured, already knowing the answer.

“The Bond Establishment”, Louis whispered back, almost as if the words were sacred, “It’s when we…um, _you know_ , to…uh, establish the bond”.

Harry didn’t miss the way Louis shifted his hand down to readjust himself in his pants. He bit back a smile at the thought that just this conversation was riling Louis up.

“It’s the final act of the mating ritual,” Louis continued, clearing his throat, “The one that ties mates together for life. Once the bond is established, only death can break it”.

“But I have to be sixteen for that?” Harry asked and Louis nodded.

“It’s…my wolf doesn’t care about waiting but _I_ do. I’m not going to make you decide whether you want to be tied to me for life at the age of fourteen, love”, Louis smiled.

“I’ve already decided”, Harry insisted, “My mind’s not going to change in a year and a half, Lou”.

“Then there’s no harm in waiting”, Louis murmured back, kissing away Harry’s pout, “You’re worth it, Hazza. _We’re_ worth it”.

The soft, warm press of Louis’ lips against his was interrupted by his mum calling up the stairs, reminding Harry it was time for school.

Harry ignored her and wound his arms around Louis’ neck, pulling the wolf closer to him. For a few seconds, Louis gave in, running his tongue over Harry’s bottom lip until the younger boy’s parted with a moan.

“You’ll be late for school”, Louis mumbled against his mouth, “And your Mum doesn’t know about us yet. I don’t want her walking in on me ravaging her underaged son”.

Harry kissed him harder, panting out, “I don’t care. I want to be ravaged. Just keep-”

His words were cut off by Louis pressing a firm, hard kiss to his pliant lips, nipping the bottom one just enough for Harry to feel the sting of the wolf’s teeth.

He was still reeling from the sensations when Louis gave him a wink and murmured, “See you tomorrow evening, love”, before slipping out of his bedroom window.

Harry let out a heavy sigh and reached down to palm himself through his pants. It didn’t feel nearly as satisfying as it would have if it had been Louis’ hand.

“I hate being fourteen”, he muttered to himself, petulantly and he thought he heard the answering sound of wolf’s howl.


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I adore every single one of you! Thank you for the lovely comments and kudos on the last chapter. Here’s chapter 2 :) xx

Harry wasn’t nervous. Well, he wasn’t until Liam pulled him into the school toilets and locked the door behind them.

“The Alpha’s invited me to the pack dinner tonight”, Liam whispered, eyes wide, “Zayn told her about how I was his mate and she came to see me this morning”.

“At your house?” Harry asked, his own nervousness taking a backseat to his worry for Liam.

Liam’s father was a Protector through and through. There was no way he would agree to let an Alpha werewolf into his house.

“No. At the bus stop”, Liam answered, his cheeks getting tinged with pink.

“So you’re taking the bus again”, Harry smirked, suddenly understanding why Liam was so nervous, “Are you and Zayn _dating_?”

Liam’s face turned red and he covered Harry’s mouth with his hand, hissing, “Not so loud! Do you want every werewolf in the school to know?”

When Harry continued to beam at him, Liam gave him a begrudging smile and added, “We’re taking things slow. I can’t tell my dad about it yet. I know he’s gonna throw me out so Zayn suggested we talk to his pack Alpha”.

“And?” Harry asked, curiosity spiked.

“She invited me to dinner tonight. Said there are options for me if I want to move out of my Dad’s place before I turn eighteen.”

“That’s…good, right?” Harry asked, cautiously.

Liam rubbed a hand through his hair, biting his lip.

“I just…I don’t know if I’m ready to move out yet. I’m all Dad’s got and I _know_ his profession isn’t…it’s not something I want to do. I’m sure of that now but he’s still the only family I have in this town. He..he tells me every morning that he’s proud of me and that he’s lucky to have me as his son. I hate what he does but he’s still my Dad. It’s hard to just…walk away from that.”

Harry lay a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder and Liam let him. He was pretty sure Jay was going to talk to Liam about the possibility of being turned. 

“Don’t feel pressured into anything”, Harry said and Liam gave him a look of surprise.

“What?” the brown-eyed boy asked, face scrunching up with confusion, “What do you mean?”

“Just, no matter what happens tonight, don’t feel pressured into choosing or doing something you’re not ready for”, Harry answered, “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay with your dad for a while longer. That doesn’t mean you love Zayn any less”.

He waited, expecting Liam to protest that he didn’t love Zayn as he usually did whenever the topic of ‘love’ was brought up, but the boy just shook his head, glumly.

“I don’t _want_ to stay with my dad though.” he answered, his hands clenching into fists, “That’s why I feel so guilty about all this! I should feel more torn up about wanting to move out but I’m _tired_ of fighting this bond between Zayn and I! I’ve lied to myself for years, tricked myself into believing my dad was telling the truth and that soulmates didn’t exist. I think that’s part of why I don’t feel safe around my dad anymore. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to completely forgive him for all the lies he told me about werewolves. About Zayn”.

“When did you realise?” Harry asked, softly because it hadn’t been so long ago that the lad had been adamant about soul bonds being fake.

“After…” Liam cleared his throat, blushing a bit, “After seeing you and Louis in the shed that day. I didn’t mean to spy but I wanted to make sure you were okay and..um…”

“You saw us kissing?” Harry guessed, thinking back to the day he first met Louis.

Liam nodded.  
“It..uh…looked intense. But more than that. I heard him telling you to wait. He just…he didn’t sound like someone who wanted to use you or trick you. He sounded as if he genuinely cared.”

Harry couldn’t stop the fond smile that entered his face at the thought of Louis. 

“It didn’t make sense to me”, Liam continued, wiping his palms on his jeans the way he did when he was nervous, “I kept trying to reconcile that with what my dad had told me about werewolves. They were supposed to be more animal than human, following their instincts rather than their emotions but Louis was…he was trying to _protect_ you. That’s all he’s ever been trying to do and I…I kept him away from you. Forced you to stay away from him without giving you a choice in the matter. I did what my dad expected his heir and future Protector to do and all it made me feel was disgusted with myself”.

“Li, you’ve already apologised to me.” At least fifteen times, Harry thought to himself, “You don’t need to do it again”.

Liam bit his lip and nodded.

“All of it just…I saw you and Louis in the shed and it made me realise that I _want_ that. Not with Louis, obviously!” he added, hastily, when Harry’s eyes narrowed.

He couldn’t help it! The mate bond made him feel possessive over Louis. Or, well, that’s what he was blaming it on!

“I care about Zayn. A lot. I don’t want to hurt him anymore than I already have. So I…um…I had a talk with him. Asked him what being his mate truly meant. He explained and, without Dad’s lies clouding my thoughts, it seemed a lot more straightforward. And then we…um…we snogged for a bit.”

Harry stayed silent, letting Liam talk.

“And it felt…right. Just as it had all those years ago when we were still kids. I got a glimpse of what we might have had, what we _could_ have, if I stopped acting like a Protector and started being myself. So I asked him out last month and he said yes and now I’ve been invited to dinner with his pack. He told me you were going to be there too.”

Harry nodded and then, because he couldn’t help it, grinned and pulled Liam into a warm hug.

“I’m so proud of you”, he whispered in his friend’s ear, “I know you and Zayn will work it all out. And I’m so glad to have another human with me when I face the wolves”.

Liam chuckled, sounding happier than he had in…well, _years_!

“I’m glad too”, he answered and for the first time since Harry had learnt about his friend being a Protector, he was certain Liam was telling the absolute truth.

* * * * * 

Louis had wanted to pick him up at the house. He’d wanted to bring Jay along to tell Anne all about werewolves and about Harry being his mate but Harry had made them wait.

“I’m fourteen”, he had pointed out when Louis asked why he wasn’t telling his mum yet, “If she finds out I’m going to get married to a werewolf in two years-”

“ _Bonded_ , Harry!”

“Is there really a difference?” Harry asked and Louis’ silence had been answer enough, “As I was saying, if she finds out I’m getting myself permanently hitched to someone in two years, she’s going to ground me until I turn eighteen!”

“She has to know sometime, Hazza”, Louis had gently told him, nuzzling against his cheek to calm his mate down.

“I know,” Harry had replied with a sigh, “Just…let me be the one to tell her. When I turn sixteen. I’ll tell her then. She can’t argue too much if I’ve reached the age of consent”.

Harry could see the reluctance in Louis’ face but, when he leant forward to kiss the wolf, Louis gave in with a huff.

“Fine,” he muttered, petulantly, “But the day you turn sixteen, you come clean to her about all this. No more lies. Mum will want to be there too”.

“Of course”, Harry promised, thankful that the inevitably uncomfortable conversation had been put off for the time being.

What that meant though, was Louis couldn’t come to pick him up in case Anne spotted him. Which was why Harry found himself riding in the car with Liam and Niall. 

He had told his Mum that he was hanging out with Liam and Liam had told his Dad that he was having dinner at Harry’s. They were both confident their parents trusted them enough to not check up on their whereabouts.

Niall, who Harry hadn’t spent much time with at school, was a joy to be around. Harry barely remembered that he was still nervous about meeting Louis’ pack. Niall kept the conversation flowing, laughing uproariously at all of Harry’s jokes, even the ones Liam claimed were “lame”.

And, despite the first few tense moments when Niall had seen Liam and blurted out, “Your Dad tried to shoot me once so you owe me a drink”, the two were now on their way to becoming fast friends.

“You’re not old enough to drink yet”, Liam had pointed out and Niall had grinned, waggling his eyebrows as he answered, “Payne, I have _so_ much to teach you about rule-breaking!”

By the time they pulled up in front of the cabin in the woods, Harry had made a new friend in the blonde wolf.

“You fellas ready?” Niall asked, keeping the car’s engine running, “Be honest. None of that nosy lot can hear you while I’ve got old Bertha on!”

Old Bertha, they had previously been informed, was the Tomlinson pack’s trusty old car that Niall had learnt how to drive in.

“I think so?” Harry replied, eyes taking in the cosy-looking house. 

He thought he saw one of the curtains shift as someone peeked out but they were gone before Harry could try and figure out their identity.

“You’ll be alright”, Niall reassured them, “You’ve just got to impress the Alpha and, in your case Harry, all of Louis’ sisters”.

Harry gulped.

“Zayn told me Louis’ sisters are terrifying”, Liam added, unhelpfully.

“Depends who you talk to first”, Niall informed them, “The youngest twins are sweet and easy to charm. Phoebe and Daisy, on the other hand, are tiny terrors. They’ve got this way of staring at you without blinking. It’s fucking unnerving!”

Harry gulped but stored away the information Niall was giving him.

“Then there’s Lottie. She’s a nice lass most of the time but she can be cold as ice when she wants to so you need to get on her good side from the get-go, and Fizzy…well, let’s just say, she’s ruthless when she feels like it. A bit like Louis, actually.”

“Jesus,” Harry’s voice came out slightly squeaky, “I haven’t got a chance, have I?” 

Niall laughed, shutting off the engine.

“You’ll be alright, mate. You both will. You’re ready,” the blonde proclaimed, throwing open the car door, “Time to meet your future pack, lads!”

“This is really happening, isn’t it?” Liam whispered to Harry as they got out of the car, “We’re actually choosing to walk, unprotected, into a house full of werewolves!”

Harry assumed that such a thing went against every instinct Liam’s dad had hammered into him about being a Protector.

“Well,” Harry replied, eyes fixed on the two figures that had appeared on the porch and were leaning against the open doorway, “Not _entirely_ unprotected.

Louis and Zayn gave them matching smirks, eyes flashing gold as their mates headed towards them, ready to meet their pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be all about Harry and Liam meeting the pack! Comments brighten my day so please leave one if you have time <3 xx


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the Tomlinson pack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented, left kudos or dropped by my tumblr to shower me with positive messages! You're all amazing! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a wee bit longer than usual <3 xx

Harry had pictured the pack house to be a strict hierarchy, with Jay standing in front and the Betas standing behind her in a line. What he was met with was, for lack of a better word, utter chaos.

The moment he had gotten to the door, Louis had grabbed his hand, a disapproving look in his eyes.

“You took off your necklace,” he had growled with a frown but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from pulling Harry into a tight hug, scenting his neck none too subtly.

“I didn’t want to bring silver into a house full of werewolves,” Harry had replied with a grin, “I’m supposed to be winning people over, aren’t I?”

Sure, it was also because he had wanted to stay close to Louis all night, wanted to hold his hand and maybe trade a few kisses, but no one else had to know that!

“What am I going to do with you, Hazza?” Louis had groaned out and Harry realised a moment too late that his mate could smell his arousal. 

Oops?

Louis had whined softly and pressed a kiss to Harry’s cheek before moving back. He kept a hold of Harry’s hand, caressing it in his rougher one.

“Ready?” Zayn had asked, eyes on Liam, who gulped once before nodding.

“Stay close,” Louis had murmured to Harry, gaze flicking to the door of the pack house, “Let me know if it gets to be too much”.

Harry had tried not to roll his eyes at how protective Louis was being.

Zayn wasn’t quite as protective of Liam, no doubt because he knew his mate had the training of a Protector and could look after himself, but he still kept within touching distance of the brown-eyed boy as they entered the house.

Harry let Louis lead him through the large throng of people that were crowded inside the house. The cabin was much larger on the inside than it appeared from the outside. 

The living room itself had at least fifteen people in it, all engaged in various activities. 

There were a couple of werewolves playing what seemed to be a very competitive game of Mario Kart on the Playstation, shouting playful curses at each other. A trio of girls were laughing as they awaited their turn, occasionally throwing glances towards Harry and Liam. Another wolf was asleep on the couch, his friend taking the opportunity to draw phallus-shaped images on the man’s face. But what caught Harry’s attention was the larger group that were gathered at the centre of the room. 

Niall had joined them, claiming the spare seat on the couch and tossing the car keys to a blonde-haired girl. 

“I’m betting the car on James winning this round,” Niall proclaimed.

The girl raised one, perfectly-sculpted, eyebrow and said, “You can’t bet the pack car. That doesn’t belong solely to you”.

“Aww come on, Lottie!” Niall bargained and Harry was hit by the sudden realisation that this was one of Louis’ sisters, “I’m broke this week!”

“Shouldn’t have snuck out to the pub last week with a fake ID then,” Lottie responded, tossing her hair over her shoulder and turning to the two girls beside her.

“Perrie? Leigh? Either of you want to place a bet?”

“I’m going for James, obviously,” Perrie answered at once, handing over the money and earning a high-five from Niall. 

“I’ll go with Nick,” Leigh decided, “Someone’s got to show him support”.

Harry pulled his gaze away from the betting to see two older men, who were standing at the centre of the circle, snarling at each other. They were crouched low, moments away from attacking.

Harry’s first thought was that they were about to tear each other apart but then he saw Zayn pass a pack of cigarettes over to Perrie, muttering, “Put me down for James as well”.

“It’s just play fighting,” Louis’ warm breath fell against his ear and Harry nodded, squeezing the older wolf’s hand to show he was fine with it.

He still moved closer to Louis when the two Weres shifted, lunging at each other with claws outstretched. 

Liam made a soft noise beside him but before Harry could turn to ask if he was okay (Liam hated fighting of any sort), Zayn was there, wrapping his arms around Liam’s shoulders and letting him hide his face against his chest.

“You alright, Batman?” Zayn murmured softly and Liam nodded, clutching the wolf closer.

“Not much of a Protector, are you?” Lottie’s voice cut over the snarling Nick and James were engaging in.

Liam looked up, opening his mouth to defend himself before he realised her voice contained approval rather than disgust.

“I’m not my dad,” he settled for saying and Lottie gave him a nod of acknowledgement before turning to Harry.

“And what about you?” she asked, voice scornful.

Niall had told him she was the nice one but right now, her eyes held nothing but distrust. 

“Lottie,” Louis warned quietly, placing both his arms around Harry’s waist and pulling him closer. 

“I’m just asking. Louis keeps telling us how _amazing_ you are but how do you plan on being a part of this pack if you can’t even stand a bit of werewolf playtime?”

“Lottie!” Louis’ voice was a low growl now and Harry had no doubt that his eyes were flashing at the younger Beta, “That’s enough”.

“Why don’t you let him speak for himself?” Lottie retorted, averting her eyes from her furious brother’s to focus on Harry, “Let him prove he’s a worthy mate”.

Harry met her gaze head-on, seeing the clear challenge in her eyes. He could feel the tension in Louis’ muscles as his wolf warred with his human side. The wolf demanded retribution for his sister’s disrespect towards his mate while the human didn’t want to hurt her.

Harry opened his mouth, unsure of exactly what to say but willing to say anything in order to prevent an actual fight between the siblings, when Nick let out a high-pitched whine. 

Lottie’s attention shifted to the injured wolf and she hissed, “Shut up! If Mum finds out we’re having wrestling matches…”

She trailed off, undoubtedly because she saw Harry raise his eyebrows in surprise. So, ‘werewolf playtime’ wasn’t actually a thing then. Not something approved of by the Alpha at any rate!

Lottie narrowed her eyes at him, as if daring him to try her but Harry was already moving towards Nick to make sure he was alright.

The wolf was cradling his right arm in his left while glaring at the celebrating James.

“Can I see?” Harry asked, nodding towards the older wolf’s arm, glad that he had taken first aid as an elective in school last year.

Nick looked at him, then at Louis, before relenting with a sigh.

“It’ll heal,” he murmured, face red with embarrassment as his future Alpha’s mate surveyed the damage. 

“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt,” Harry countered, checking to make sure the injury was nothing more than a deep cut caused by James’ claws.

Someone (Perrie, Harry later figured out) handed him an antiseptic wipe from the pack’s first aid kit and Harry ignored Nick’s whimpers as he meticulously cleaned the wound. 

It was already healing but the last thing he wanted was for it to turn septic because it hadn’t been properly cleaned!

When he next looked up, it was to see Louis giving him a fond smile and Lottie looking…satisfied.

Nick thanked Harry quietly before lunging at James again. Louis managed to pull Harry out of the foray just in time.

“You lot are so fucking immature sometimes,” he growled but the words lacked any true heat.

Liam turned away from the fight again, letting Zayn hold him in an attempt to distract. Sure, he had claimed he could take down a werewolf pack but in all honesty, he hated the sight of blood. Even when it was just a fun exercise between pack members!

Zayn looked as if he were moments away from forcing the Betas to stop their play fighting but it was Leigh who suddenly let out a sharp snarl, “Shit! Code Red!”

The speed with which James and Nick shifted back was almost too fast for the human eye to catch. The group dispersed and, within seconds, there was no sign that any fight had ever taken place.

The room was a lot quieter now and Harry realised the reason a moment later, when a familiar figure walked down the stairs. 

“I leave you alone for _ten_ minutes and I hear-” Jay stopped speaking, abruptly, when she saw Harry and Liam.

Louis moved closer to Harry, his protective instincts amping up at the fact there was another Alpha in the room, even if said Alpha was his own mother.

“Harry!” Jay’s smile was warm and welcoming.

She made to move towards them but, when Louis’ arm tightened around Harry’s waist and the wolf growled softly, she paused in her steps.

“You have to let him leave your side at some point tonight, love,” she stated, giving Louis an amused look.

In response, Louis pulled Harry closer, nuzzling his cheek against the younger boy’s hair insistently until Jay sighed, her voice tinged with fondness.

“I have a feeling you’re going to have to get used to his scent-marking, Harry.” she chuckled. “He’s always been possessive of the people he cares about.”

I like it, Harry thought and then turned beet red when he realised he had said that out loud. Louis let out a soft sound of approval, shuffling as close as physically possible until Harry could feel the warmth of him covering his back.

A couple of pack members snickered but Jay gave them a warning growl and they quietened down immediately.

“Still, I’m sure that Louis will be a good host and introduce you to the rest of the pack,” Jay said it pleasantly enough but something in her tone of voice made Louis whine lowly.

“Yes, Mum,” he muttered, somewhat petulantly, loosening his tight hold on the younger boy by a reluctant inch.

“It’s a pleasure to have you here with us tonight, Harry.” she finished before turning to face Zayn and the lad he had his arms around, “You as well, Liam”.

“T..thank you,” Liam gulped, eyes darting around the room, nervously.

Some of the younger wolves were giving him curious glances but none of them seemed downright hostile. 

“I’m sure you won’t mind having a little chat with me before dinner,” Jay continued, smiling at him in a way that was decidedly more guarded than the smile she had bestowed upon Harry.

She held out a hand and Liam felt Zayn tense up behind him but he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. 

Liam gulped before nodding. You didn’t argue with an Alpha werewolf. At least, not when you were dating one of her Betas.

“Um..y..yeah. Sure,” he stammered, Zayn reluctantly releasing him so Jay could take his hand.

“And Zayn, love? Could you help Perrie and James set the table?”

It was clearly a way to ensure the wolf didn’t eavesdrop in on the conversation and Zayn knew it too but he still sighed and muttered, “Sure, Alpha”.

“Thank you. Liam, let’s go for a stroll in the garden,” Jay told him as she led him away, leaving the pack to their own devices.

Harry waited until the Alpha had disappeared out the door, Liam in tow, before turning to Louis and urgently whispering, “Is he going to be okay?”

Louis nodded.

“She would never hurt him,” he answered and then, nodded in Zayn’s direction, “Alpha or not, no one wants to piss off a werewolf where their mates are concerned”.

“Good,” Harry let out a relieved breath.

Louis smiled before taking his hand.

“Come on. I’ll give the others a couple of minutes with you before I whisk you off to some dark, deserted-”

“Oh, for god’s sake! Get a room.” Leigh grumbled from her place on the sofa, causing Niall to burst into laughter.

Louis just rolled his eyes and started introducing Harry to the pack.

Harry shook hands with everyone, letting a few of the wolves pull him into hugs that only lasted until Louis started growling.

Nick, in particular, was fascinated by Harry’s glossy curls and kept asking him what he used on it. 

“Want to feel it?” Harry asked but Nick took one look at Louis’ flashing eyes and hastily withdrew his hand.

The nervous tension Harry had felt when he first entered the pack house had all but disappeared as he continued to socialise with the Tomlinson pack. He had clearly passed whatever test Lottie had set, for she was all smiles and laughter now, tugging him away from Louis to introduce him to her favourite Betas.

It was just as Harry was finishing his conversation with Leigh, that a pair of wolf cubs ran into the room. They yipped around Louis’ ankles, chewed on the hem of Lottie’s jeans and finally, ran up to Harry.

He smiled hesitantly when he saw their tails were wagging. They sat back on their haunches and waited, blinking up at him expectantly.

“They want to scent you,” Lottie explained, with a soft grin in the cubs’ direction.

Harry held out a hand and he knew his face looked unbearably fond when the cubs sniffed and licked his palm. 

One of the cubs let out a petulant whine, standing on hind legs and placing its front paws on Harry’s foot.

Harry couldn’t help it. He _melted_!

He knelt on the ground, letting the cubs clamber up onto his lap, cradling one in his arms while the other attempted to climb onto his shoulders.

“Are these-?”

“My youngest siblings,” Louis pronounced with a fond sigh, coming up behind Harry, “Dori and Ernie.” 

Harry looked up to see that Lottie and the other Betas had wandered over to the TV, leaving him and Louis with the two cubs.

“They haven’t learnt to control their shifts yet,” Louis explained, “We’ve only seen them in human form a handful of times. That’s why Mum’s got those anklets on their paws”.

Harry took a closer look at the cubs and saw the one in his arms had an anklet with the name ‘Dori’ written on it. 

“You’re so lovely,” Harry murmured, one hand carding over her soft coat, “Absolutely adorable!”

Dori made a soft, pleased sound, shuffling in Harry’s arms until he lifted her up so she could press her furry cheek against his.

Ernie had clambered down Harry’s shoulder and was now curled up against the crook of his neck, purring softly.

“You’ll be the death of me, Styles,” Louis’ raspy voice interrupted Harry’s baby wolf bonding time.

He looked up to see the older Were was staring down at him with slightly darkened blue eyes.

“I love babies,” Harry answered with a shrug, “And..um, wolf cubs, apparently. I can’t believe you kept these cuties away from me for this long!”

He turned his head to the side so he could press his nose against Ernie’s wet one. The cub snuffled in delight and pulled back to lick Harry’s cheek.

“That’s it,” Louis muttered, reaching down to pluck the happy twins off of Harry. 

He placed the furry bundles on the ground before saying, “Go on. Shoo. Go play or something”.

Both the twins whined, wanting to stay with Harry who was nice and warm and smelt nice. They whined again when Louis flashed his eyes at them but reluctantly trotted off, Ernie baring his white teeth at his brother to show that he wasn’t happy with the command.

Harry barely had time to process all that before Louis’ hand was dragging him up and pulling him along.

“Stay safe, kids!” James called out with a smirk and Louis flipped him off without turning back to look.

Harry bit his lip to hold back the laugh but his body was already heating up, loving the fact that he had made Louis lose control. Even if it hadn’t been intentional!

“Driving me fucking crazy!” the future Alpha was muttering as he marched them through the house, “Who the fuck gave you the right to be so damn picturesque with babies? How is that _fair_?”

Harry couldn’t help it.  
He blurted out, “Do you want babies someday?” and the next thing he knew, he had his back against the hallway wall.

“I want _everything_ ,” Louis whispered, his face just a breath away from Harry’s, “I want everything with you”.

Harry wasn’t entirely certain who moved first but suddenly their lips were meeting in desperate kisses, bodies pressed together. Harry’s cock was swelling faster than it ever had in his life and he could feel Louis’ throbbing against his inner thigh.

“Lou,” Harry whimpered quietly when the wolf pulled his mouth away to trail bruising kisses across his jaw and down his neck.

“Mine,” Louis panted, scraping his teeth along the side of Harry’s neck, causing the younger boy to shiver with pleasure, “You smell like pack but you’re _mine_ ”.

Harry pulled him closer in response, hands fisting into the wolf’s shorter hair and pulling him up for another kiss.

“The…” Harry bit back a moan as Louis thrust his hips forward, grinding their crotches together instinctively, “The pack…we can’t…not here…”

“Fuck! Yeah, not ‘till you’re s..sixteen,” Louis added but his hips grinded down again, mouth sliding over Harry’s even as he panted the words.

“Y..yeah,” Harry agreed, body arching against the older boy’s when Louis sucked a mark against his collarbone.

He was getting closer now, the delicious feel of Louis’ body against his driving him closer to his orgasm. Louis was panting against his cheek, lips trailing absently over the skin there as his clothed cock pressed against Harry’s, begging for release.

It felt better than good. It felt heavenly. Just a few more seconds of this and Harry would-

“LouBear?” twin voices chorused, effectively ending the moment.

Louis and Harry immediately stopped all movement, Louis moving his head so his face was pressed against Harry’s neck, hiding his lust-blown eyes from his younger sisters.

“Phoebe and Daisy,” he stated and Harry could hear the frustration behind the words, “You have _such_ great timing, girls”.

“Thanks,” one of the blonde-haired twins answered, completely missing the sarcasm in their brother’s voice.

“Why’s your heart beating so fast?” the other, more perceptive one, asked and Harry glanced at them to see that they had the same electric blue eyes as their brother.

“Is it because he smells good?” the first one added.

It took Harry a few seconds to realise they were asking Louis and not him. 

Louis groaned, his hands clutching at the back of Harry’s shirt to hold him closer. He nuzzled against Harry’s neck for a moment, inhaling the calming scent of his mate before stepping back and putting a respectable amount of distance between them.

Harry hoped his pants weren’t too obviously tented! 

“Why are you here?” Louis ignored the twins’ questions to ask.

“To meet your mate, of course!” they both answered at the same time, “Mummy said we could!”

The effect of having two sets of identical blue eyes on him was somewhat eerie but Harry still managed to smile.

“Um..hi! I’m Harry. It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” he answered, holding out his hand.

Phoebe and Daisy gave him matching grins and held out their own hands. One of them giggled when he brought their hands up to his lips to kiss the backs.

“Why did you do that?” the other asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously in a way that reminded Harry of Louis.

“Because,” Harry answered solemnly, “That’s the way Princesses deserve to be greeted”.

The girls’ smiles turned up a notch and the suspicion in their eyes vanished. 

“We like you,” one of the twins stated and the other added, “You should move in with us”.

Louis made a low noise in his throat that sounded as if he were being slowly strangled.

“Maybe someday,” Harry answered, keeping his eyes averted from Louis’ for fear of what he might find there.

They had never talked about their housing arrangements once Harry turned sixteen.

His breath hitched when he felt Louis’ arm wrap around his waist, pulling him back against his chest in a warm embrace.

“Definitely someday,” the werewolf whispered and Harry didn’t bother to fight back his smile of delight.

 

It was as Louis was showing him the library, Phoebe and Daisy in tow, that Harry met Fizzy Tomlinson.

She appeared from between one of the bookshelves, her expression neutral as she studied Harry. At first glance, she looked a lot like Jay, with the same hair and colouring but her eyes were the same bright blue as Louis’.

There was a guarded look in her eyes as she studied Harry and he gulped, remembering what Louis had said about pack members setting up tests. 

Harry had clearly gained the approval of Jay, Lottie and both sets of twins but Fizzy seemed determined not to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Fiz, this is-” Louis began but she cut across with, “I know who he is.”

Harry murmured an awkward ‘Hi’ before she went back to perusing her book, completely ignoring his existence.

Harry blinked, unsure as to whether he should try and engage her in conversation or leave her be.

“She takes a while to warm up to people,” Louis apologised but his eyes still flashed gold, clearly annoyed at his sister’s behaviour.

“It’s okay,” Harry murmured to his mate, stroking a hand over Louis’ arm to calm him down.

Louis turned to him then, a small smile on his face but before he could say anything, a shout had all the werewolves cocking their heads.

“Dinner’s ready!” the twins chorused, rushing out the door.

Louis rolled his eyes fondly but grabbed Harry’s hand and pulled the boy along. Harry pretended not to notice the way Fizzy was watching him as they walked towards the kitchen.

 

It was as they were seated around the dinner table that Harry noticed two people were missing.

“Where’s Liam and Zayn?” he asked.

Jay smiled as she placed a scoop of peas on her plate before passing the dish over to Harry. 

“They’ve got some important things to sort out,” she answered, lightly.

“What could be more important than dinner?” Niall asked, incredulous. 

Leigh whacked him over the head for that comment but Jay just rolled her eyes and picked up her fork.

Harry would have dug for more information but he was distracted by the slices of roast chicken Louis was placing on Harry’s plate.

“Aww. Providing for his mate. How domestic!” Lottie teased, winking at Harry.

Louis scowled at her but didn’t deny the statement. His body remained tense until Harry squeezed his hand under the table, murmuring a quiet, “Thank you”. 

It didn’t help matters any when Nick decided to engage Harry in a conversation that could be considered borderline flirtatious. It seemed to simply be a part of Nick’s personality but Harry could feel Louis vibrating with jealousy next to him, struggling to contain his growls. It was only Harry’s hand laid over his, anchoring him, that prevented Louis from shifting and lunging across the table at Nick, especially when the Beta tried to playfully punch Harry’s shoulder.

Jay smiled knowingly but didn’t say anything when Louis managed to ‘accidentally’ spill his glass of water into Nick’s lap.

Harry had to disguise his laugh as a cough and pretend he didn’t notice the way Louis was preening next to him. 

“You’re the first human to enter the pack house,” Fizzy suddenly commented, voice light but eyes hard.

She had been watching Harry and Louis interact during dinner, a silent question in her eyes.

Harry paused mid-chew. Louis had tensed next to him and the rest of the table had fallen oddly silent.

“Fizzy-” Jay started to warn but she was cut off by her daughter adding, “Are you ashamed to have my brother as your mate? Is that why you haven’t told your mum yet?”

“Fizzy!” Louis growled, eyes flashing, “ _That_ is none of your fucking business!”

Perrie and Nick clapped a hand over Phoebe and Daisy’s ears a moment too late and the twins chorused, “Oooh, he said a bad word!”

“No, it’s…I can answer,” Harry replied, swallowing his bite of food.

He pretended not to notice the way every member of the pack, apart from Louis, leant forward. It was obvious quite a few of them had wanted to ask but had been too scared to.

“Mainly, it’s because my mum doesn’t know about werewolves,” Harry said, “When I was little, she used to tell me and my sister not to wander into the woods. She thought…she always said there were monsters in there”.

Fizzy’s eyes hardened even more but James cracked up.

“Oh, come on!” he grinned at the rest of the table, “She wasn’t far off from the truth, really!”

“But then one day, my sister dared me to enter the woods and it was the best decision of my life,” Harry continued, sharing a look with Louis, “I haven’t told Mum about Louis and I because of the same reason I never told her or Gemma about meeting a wolf. Because I’m scared”.

Louis’ hand covered his own and he let himself lean against the older wolf, taking the support that was silently being offered.

“I’m terrified of what my mum’s gonna say,” Harry continued, looking up to meet Fizzy’s eyes, “A mate bond isn’t something humans normally hear about. At best, she’s going to think I’m crazy. At worst, she’ll try and protect me by forcing me to stay away from Louis”.

Louis whined softly at that, nuzzling against Harry’s cheek in a comforting manner.

Harry took a deep breath. 

“I’m not trying to hide what I feel for Louis. I’m not playing with his feelings or…or whatever it is you think but I _can’t_ tell my mum until I’m sixteen. I can’t risk her tearing us apart. I just…”

Harry trailed off, embarrassed to notice that his eyes were starting to get wet. Louis drew him closer, letting the younger boy hide his face against his shoulder.

“Happy now?” Louis’ voice was tight when he addressed Fizzy.

“I just wanted to be sure,” Fizzy answered, her tone cool, before excusing herself from the dinner table.

Harry knew it had just been a test but he honestly wasn’t sure if he had passed. 

Still, he made it through the rest of dinner, the awkward atmosphere clearing up when Niall and James started bantering with each other.

As Harry began to relax again, he felt Louis’ body lose some of the tension it had carried. He couldn’t stop himself from leaning over to press a soft kiss to Louis’ cheek, a silent thank you for not doubting him.

Louis just cupped his cheek in one hand and pressed a soft kiss to his lips in return.

Harry blushed when he pulled back to see that Jay had witnessed the tender moment. She nodded at him and, for some reason, it felt like an approval.

Harry volunteered to help clean up once dinner was over but Jay put the Betas to work instead, telling Harry it was late and that he should get home before his mum started worrying. 

Louis pulled him towards the front door, eagerly, but Jay put a stop to any plans he might have had by saying, “If Anne sees you both together, she’s going to have questions”.

Harry had to admit she made sense. Louis had obviously come to the same conclusion for he tossed the car keys to Perrie, pulling Harry into a tight embrace.

The hug went on for longer than expected, with Louis scenting the younger boy thoroughly. Harry tried his best to keep the kiss they shared chaste, mindful of the fact Louis’ mother and younger siblings were in the room, but Louis seemed to have no such qualms.

His tongue traced over his mate’s lips until Harry’s parted with a sigh, giving Louis the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Louis finally pulled away with a whine when Phoebe and Daisy came up to hug Harry.

“Have you got your key?” Jay asked Perrie as the Beta made to leave for the door. 

She nodded, pulling out a golden key from her pocket.

“It’s the key to the house. Everyone in the pack’s got one,” Phoebe explained to Harry, “Daisy always loses hers though”.

“I do not!” Daisy protested with an affronted huff, which made Harry laugh.

“It was lovely to have you here, Harry,” Jay told him warmly, pulling him into a motherly hug, “Take care”.

Harry shook hands with the rest of the pack, unable to resist giving Louis one last, quick kiss, before he turned to follow Perrie out the door.

Overall, he thought meeting the pack had gone well. Apart from Fizzy, who didn’t seem too happy about Harry’s presence.

“The Alpha wanted me to tell you,” Perrie said, as she stopped the car across the road from Harry’s place, “to feel free to drop in for dinner anytime.”

Harry gave her a confused look.

“Why didn’t Jay just tell me herself?”

“It’s part of the official mating ritual,” Perrie chuckled, “She has to convey the message through one of her Betas. The point is, you’ve been officially accepted as a part of the pack. We all like having you around”.

Harry smiled, reaching over to give Perrie a hug.

“I like you guys too,” he answered, grinning when Perrie shoved him out of the car with a muttered, “Go before you make me tear up and ruin my mascara!”

 

Harry felt a twinge of guilt when he opened the front door to see his Mum in the living room, watching TV. 

“Did you have a nice time at Liam’s?” she asked him, eyes kind and unassuming.

Harry nodded, not trusting his voice. He had never kept such a big secret from her before. Just a year and a bit to go, he reminded himself.

He’d tell her the day he turned sixteen. For not, Harry mumbled that he was heading off to bed.

“Alright. Night, love,” she told him before returning to her programme.

Harry shut his bedroom door behind him, digging out his phone from his jeans with every intention of calling Liam and making sure his friend was okay. As he walked closer to the bed though, his eyes caught sight of a small object on his pillow. 

It glinted under the bedroom lights and, when he reached out to touch it, he realised it was a small golden key, identical to the one all the members of the Tomlinson pack had.

Underneath it was a note, written in an unfamiliar hand. Harry couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he read it.

**_I’m sorry if I came across as too harsh. My job for the night was to make sure you were right for the pack, right for Louis. Turns out, I didn’t have to worry.  
It takes a special person to make my brother this happy. Welcome to the pack, Harry. I look forward to seeing you around the house!_ **

It was signed- _**'Fizzy Tomlinson’**_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter! The next one will be primarily focused on Ziam because they deserve some attention too!
> 
> Also, I’ve finally decided that this series will have 5 parts. The next part will definitely be the last :) xx


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam finally makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised Ziam and I have (hopefully) delivered. Thank you all for your patience and encouragement. Hope you enjoy :) xx

Zayn should have expected it the moment his Alpha had invited Liam for dinner. 

He had, naively, hoped that Jay would only tell Liam about his options; that he had the choice of becoming a werewolf if he wished to leave his dad’s house before the age of eighteen.

The moment Jay walked back into the house with no Liam in tow, Zayn knew she had told him _everything_.

“He has a right to know, Zayn,” was all she said in explanation and it took every bit of his willpower to not growl at the Alpha as he shoved past her, following Liam’s scent.

He found the boy standing by Jay’s rose garden, glaring at the roses as if they had personally wronged him somehow. The moment he heard Zayn’s quiet footsteps, Liam’s shoulders hunched in on themselves, posture turning defensive.

Zayn couldn’t help it. His wolf whined at his mate’s clear rejection.

“Li-”

“Not here,” Liam’s voice was firm but Zayn could detect the anger beneath the words. Anger and…something more. _Betrayal_. The scent left a horrible taste in Zayn’s mouth, his wolf already urging him to get down on his knees and beg his mate for forgiveness.

“I can explain-” he tried again only to snap his mouth shut when Liam turned to face him with…red-rimmed eyes. 

Anger would’ve been better than the dried tear tracks on the boy’s cheeks and the puffiness of his eyes.

“Liam,” the word came out with a hint of desperation, Zayn’s arm already reaching out to touch the boy but Liam shook his head and stepped back, out of reach.

“I’m not having this discussion with a house full of werewolves eavesdropping,” Liam stated and, when Zayn focused on the house, he could hear the suspicious quiet that meant the Betas were listening in.

“You’ve got your car here, right?” Liam asked and, at the wolf’s nod, whispered, “Let’s go”.

Zayn knew, instinctively, that Liam didn’t want to face the pack again so he headed for the fence that surrounded the backyard, hoisting himself up onto it. His wolf sighed in relief when he held out a hand to help Liam and the boy accepted it. He tried not to whine when they jumped down to the other side and his mate let go of his hand. 

Liam didn’t say a word until they were both in the car, driving away from the woods and leaving behind the pack house.

“Where do you want to go?” Zayn asked, lacking in his usual confidence. 

Liam shrugged and, for a minute, Zayn thought he wasn’t going to answer but then he heard him murmur, “Somewhere private.”

Zayn was so caught up worrying about how to fix this mess of a situation, that he didn’t notice where he had driven them to until he parked the car. 

Liam too, squinted out into the darkness before turning to raise an eyebrow at the wolf.

“When I said somewhere private, I didn’t mean creepy and secluded from humanity,” he snarked.

Zayn hadn’t planned to deign that with a response but, without meaning to, he found himself saying, “It’s nicer on the inside. You’ll like it.”

He opened the car door and got out before Liam had time to respond. He walked towards the abandoned warehouse, his wolf humming happily when it sensed that Liam was following, albeit a trace hesitantly.

Zayn took out a key from his jacket pocket and fitted it into the padlock. The door swung open with a painful creak. 

He stepped inside and let out a breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding when Liam followed him in. This warehouse was…special to him, as odd as that seemed. 

No one else in the pack had ever been allowed to come here, not even Louis. This place was Zayn’s sanctuary, a place for him to express himself.

He studied the painted canvases he had propped up against the walls with a feeling of self-consciousness. Art had always been his way of expressing his emotions. Showing Liam this was the equivalent to baring his soul to the boy. It was easily the most terrifying thing Zayn had ever done! 

But, when he turned to look at Liam, expecting to see confusion or boredom, he was surprised to find the boy running his fingers over one of the canvases.

“Is this…is it _me_?”

Oh shit! He had completely forgotten about that one. Zayn had painted it years ago, after the first time he had met Liam on the bus.

It depicted a brown-haired boy with crinkly eyes and a carefree laugh on his lips. His head was leant against a bus window and on his shirt, right above his heart, was a small Batman badge. The last bit had been Zayn shamelessly self-indulging, since he had never actually seen Liam wear that badge: his token. 

Zayn bit his lip, trying to come up with an explanation that would make him seem like less of a creeper but when Liam turned to face him, his eyes held something akin to awe and pride.

“You’re really good at this,” Liam murmured, gaze shifting to some of the other paintings, “You could sell this stuff if you wanted.”

“I don’t,” Zayn answered quietly and Liam’s expression told him that he understood.

“It’s like your diary,” Liam summed it up perfectly, “For your eyes only.”

Zayn shrugged, looking at his shoes as he mumbled, “I don’t mind you being here.”

There were a brief few seconds of silence following that statement and then, almost as if he had been holding his anger back, Liam burst out with, “I can’t _believe_ you asked her to turn me!”

Zayn winced. Straight to the point, it seemed. He appreciated that about Liam. The human wasn’t one to beat around the bush. 

“It’s not…it wasn’t…I didn’t mean to-”

“Didn’t mean to what? Give me a choice in the matter?” Liam cut across him and it was completely inappropriate the way Zayn’s cock was taking an interest in the proceedings.

An angry Liam was also an incredibly sexy Liam. Zayn pushed that thought to the back of his mind to focus on the words his mate was saying.

“I didn’t believe it when the Alpha told me. Not at first. I thought she was joking when she said you’d asked her to turn me,” Liam let out a self-derogatory laugh, “It’s because you don’t trust me, right? You don’t think I’ll choose you over my dad and you don’t want to take any chances.”

Clever. His mate was so clever, Zayn’s inner wolf cooed. But the boy was also angry and hurt and the wolf didn’t like that. Zayn had to fight his every instinct telling him to cuddle up to Liam and make the boy feel better. 

What Liam needed right now wasn’t a possessive, guilt-ridden werewolf. What he needed was a proper explanation.

“You’re right,” Zayn answered and, from Liam’s look of surprise, it was clear he had expected Zayn to deny it all. “My wolf was terrified you would leave me, that you’d choose to stay with your dad. It wasn’t about trust. I do trust you, Li. My wolf trusts you. It’s…your dad. He’s a Protector and my wolf sees him as a threat. I don’t…I _can’t_ stop myself from feeling that way, not as long as you’re living under his roof.”

Liam opened his mouth, as if to interrupt but then seemed to think better of it. He waved a hand to signal that he wanted Zayn to continue.

“I want you to be _mine_ ,” Zayn huffed out a humourless laugh, “And I know that sounds crazy and possessive and animal-like but that’s part of me. My wolf isn’t a separate entity and I can’t control how it feels about you. It’s instinct.”

He took a deep breath.  
“I know I should have talked to you about it first. It was stupid and reckless of me to ask the Alpha to turn you without your permission and I’m sorry. I will always be sorry for that. But it doesn’t change the way I feel about you. You’re _everything_ to me, Liam and when it comes to you, I have no control over my instincts. And that…the way I feel about you isn’t something I’m willing to apologise for. Not now. Not ever.”

Zayn was breathing harshly by the end of his speech. He intended to keep his eyes on the ground but the moment Liam moved, his gaze flicked up to meet his.

“No control over your instincts, huh? That sounds…scary,” Liam said, his voice barely a whisper.

“It is.” Zayn answered honestly, “It’s worse closer to the full moon. I usually take sleeping pills to stop myself from doing something insane like howling for you.”

He had howled once, he remembered; a few weeks after Liam had stopped meeting him on the bus. It had been a howl of self-loathing and anguish; of confusion and fear. He had wanted nothing more than to find Liam and beg him to stay with him forever. 

_Please_ , he had howled up into the night sky, _Please, Li. Be mine?_ Louis had been the one to calm him down, leading him back to the pack house and letting him sob against his shoulder until Zayn’s wolf had collapsed into an exhausted sleep. 

Since then, he had never let it get that bad. The sleeping pills helped. They kept him from being aware of his wolf’s pain…at least, during the full moon.

“Fucking hell, _Zayn_!” Liam choked out and Zayn could smell the tears before he could see them.

He was still trying to process that when he found himself knocked to the ground, with an armful of Liam. He had a second to see the warm brown eyes, overflowing with tears, and then Liam’s lips were on his, demanding and desperate.

“I _am_ yours,” Liam panted out between kisses, hands tangled in the werewolf’s dark hair, “I’ve always been yours, you bloody idiot!”

Zayn let out a growl and pulled him closer, tongue tracing over the soft lips of his mate as Liam parted them with a gasp. 

“Mine,” Zayn growled, unable to stop himself from running his hands over Liam’s firm body. 

His hands squeezed Liam’s arse and he smirked when the younger boy huffed out a laugh against his mouth. 

“Hands above the waist, please,” Liam murmured, even as he leant in for another kiss.

“Whatever you want, Batman,” Zayn whispered back, his voice thick with emotion in a way he hardly ever revealed.

But he knew Liam wouldn’t tease him for it. Here, in the presence of his mate, he could take off the mask of indifference he usually wore. In front of Liam, he could be himself.

Liam whimpered against his mouth, the hand in Zayn’s hair tightening. The longer they kissed, the calmer Zayn’s wolf got. By the time Liam gave him one last peck and shuffled back, Zayn was certain his wolf was curled up into a ball, content and purring. 

He took a deep breath, letting his mate’s scent fill his senses. He wondered if Liam had any idea of just how much power he held over Zayn’s wolf. It should have been a terrifying thought, the realisation that he would do anything for Liam, but Zayn found himself strangely at peace with it.

It was about trust, Jay had once told him. He understood that now. Both he and his wolf trusted Liam- with his life, with his heart, with his very soul.

“I’m sorry,” Zayn murmured again, hands reluctant to let go of the warm boy. 

Liam seemed to sense this for he shuffled back just long enough for Zayn to sit up against the wall, before settling himself in Zayn’s lap again, head resting on the wolf’s broad shoulder.

“You should be,” Liam mumbled and then, added softly, “I’m sorry too. For everything. All the avoiding and trying to ignore our bond. I never thought about how you felt. I figured it was only me that felt like shit.”

Zayn couldn’t stop himself from nuzzling against Liam’s neck, wanting to take away the pain the human had gone through by denying the mate bond between them.

“Did…did you take sleeping pills a lot?”

Liam’s voice was filled with worry and guilt. He sounded as if he were moments away from crying so Zayn carded a hand through the boy’s short brown locks and nipped gently at Liam’s jaw.

“It wasn’t so bad,” he lied, not wanting to make his mate feel any worse.

“Liar,” Liam called him out on it at once but there was a smile in his voice that told Zayn he appreciated the effort.

They stayed like that for a while, just holding and, in Zayn’s case, scenting each other.

“We’re going to start fresh. A blank slate,” Liam finally stated, pulling back slightly to look Zayn in the eye. “No more secrets, no more hiding the truth from each other and _no_ more sleeping pills.”

Zayn nodded, in complete agreement.

“When’s your next rut?”

Zayn raised an eyebrow at the question, his trademark smirk gracing his face.

Liam rolled his eyes, a blush spreading across his own face as he realised just how suggestive that had sounded.

“I’m just curious!”

“Eleven months from now,” Zayn answered.

He hated thinking about his ruts. They only happened once a year but it was two days of him being chained to a dungeon with silver manacles, the pain of the burn they caused being the only thing that kept his wolf from going feral.

It wouldn’t have affected him as much if he hadn’t found his mate before the age of sixteen. But he had and his wolf craved to claim Liam. Still, meeting the boy in front of him was something Zayn would never regret. No matter how much pain it may have caused him, he would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

“Okay,” Liam took a deep breath, “So a month before your next rut, I…I’d like to take the bite. I’ll talk to the Alpha about it.”

Zayn blinked at Liam, his arms tightening possessively on the boy’s hips. His wolf was purring with delight, ecstatic at the thought of…but he had to be sure.

“Li,” Zayn croaked out the words, “It’s not…if you choose to turn close to my rut, I can’t promise that I’ll be able to control myself. My wolf’s going to want to-”

“Claim me,” Liam interrupted, a shy smile on his lips, “I..I want that. It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?”

Zayn must have let out a satisfied growl because Liam’s eyes had a spark of mischief in them when he added, “It’s not just about you though! It’ll also give me enough time to…prepare my dad for my departure”.

“You’re going to tell him?” Zayn asked, suddenly worried.

Liam shook his head, a sad smile on his face.

“No, he’d never let me leave. I’m just going to spend more time with him, remind him that I love him no matter what and just…hope for the best, really.”

“Li, you don’t have to do this if you’re not ready. I can wait,” Zayn said, softly.

“Your wolf-“

“Won’t like it but I’ll survive,” Zayn interrupted.

“Your rut-”

“Will be a pain in the arse,” Zayn agreed, “But we’ll figure it out. We’ll get through it. You’re only a year and a half away from being eighteen. If you want to stay with your dad until then, I’d understand.”

Liam sighed, reaching up and cradling Zayn’s face between his palms. Zayn leant into the touch automatically, eyes fluttering shut at the loving contact. His wolf craved it from his mate and, to an extent, so did his human side. 

Liam was _it_ for him. Both his human and wolf sides had accepted that long ago.

“You’re way too good for me, you know that?” Liam murmured, chuckling at the way Zayn immediately growled in protest.

“I know I don’t have to but I _want_ to be turned. The only reason I didn’t agree when the Alpha asked me was because she told me you’d already asked her without waiting for my permission,” Liam pressed a soft kiss to Zayn’s cheek when the werewolf let out yet another, apologetic whine, “But I do want that. I want to be your mate in every sense of the word. I would leave my dad’s place sooner but I need to call my sisters and tell them everything. They’re nothing like Dad. They’ll support me. Maybe they’ll even come up for a visit.”

Zayn pulled Liam in closer, nuzzling his cheek playfully until the boy smiled again.

“It’s a big decision, Li,” he reminded his mate, “You don’t have to make a choice right now.”

Liam let out a genuine laugh at that, eyes crinkling. His scent went from mildly sad to fond and Zayn had to hold himself back from stealing a kiss off those soft, red lips.

“What’s so funny?” he grumbled anyway, just to keep up his image of not being a complete sap. 

Liam grinned, his expression caught somewhere between laughter and fondness, as he reached into his jeans’ pocket and pulled out a small badge.

A Batman badge.

Zayn only had to catch Liam’s eye to know the boy had been carrying it around with him for a while.

“How long?” he found himself asking, throat closing up with the myriad of emotions he was feeling.

“Since you first gave it to me,” Liam chuckled, “It made me feel safe to have something of yours to carry around. I didn’t figure out why for a while though, oblivious idiot that I am!”

As Zayn pulled him in for another, longer kiss, he felt Liam whisper against his lips, “I made my choice a long time ago. I just didn’t realise it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s the end of this part! Part 5 is currently in the process of being written. I don’t know when it’ll be ready but I’ll post it as soon as possible.
> 
> Part 5 is also going to be the last part of this series (I mean it this time!) so I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has been following this series and who supported me during the writing of it. You are all amazing and I’m honoured that you took the time to read this/leave kudos/comment! 
> 
> I love talking to you so come and chat to me on Tumblr, if you’d like. A comment, as always, would be lovely <3 xx

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://mysticbelievexx.tumblr.com)


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